AMD will not only launch cheaper versions of the Radeon HD 6900 series with 1GB, but it has also released a new overclocked SKU (product-ID) for the mid-range card Radeon HD 6870. In short several partners are expected to launch cards based on the new specification and with tuned clock frequencies.
In a press mailing AMD reveals that the new overclocked models of Radeon HD 6870 will start shipping soon and are expected to cost between 229-259 dollar, which can be compared to AMD Radeon HD 6950 1GB that will be priced at 269-279 dollar.
We canc ount on the majority of partners to release overclocked Radeon HD 6870 cards, but it has already specified models from three partners. Several of these are already available and they are officially endorsed by AMD, in an attempt to fight NVIDIA. Furthermore our sources inform us that these cards use a low leakage circuit that has been available for a long time, but now gets a bigger focus and its own product-ID.
| GPU | GPU frequency | Memory frequency | |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 Toxic | Barts XT, 40nm | 975 MHz | 1100 MHz (4400 MHz) |
| XFX Radeon HD 6870 Black Edition | Barts XT, 40nm | 940 MHz | 1150 MHz (4600 MHz) |
| PowerColor Radeon HD 6870 OC | Barts XT, 40nm | 940 MHz | 1100 MHz (4400 MHz) |
| AMD Radeon HD 6870 referens | Barts XT, 40nm | 900 MHz | 1050 MHz (4200 MHz) |
Through its new models of Radeon HD 6870 and Radeon HD 6950 with 1GB memory AMD has effectively closed down the opening that was in the upper mid-range segment. The same market NVIDIA is targeting with its GeForce GTX 560 Ti that will appear next week.
